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Wednesday, 09 January 2008 |
This is an expedition to the wild and undeveloped Baja Peninsula of Mexico, to sea kayak in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez and watch the giant gray whales frolic with their young on the Pacific coast of Magdalena Bay. As well as kayaking, we will be snorkeling with a family of Sea Lions, exploring coral shelves, hiking the dramatic desert landscape, not to mention waking up to flaming sunrises, pristine beaches, fresh fruit and seafood, beach combing, dune jumping and sipping margaritas at sunset.
The magic of this tour is that we combine five days of incredible sea kayaking in the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez, four of them based on Isla Espiritu Santo, with four days whale watching and sea kayaking in Magdelena Bay on the Pacific coast. Before, during, and at the end of these two amazing experiences, you will spend a night in The Posada Luna Hotel in La Paz to relax, regroup, and have a night out on the town!
The Sea of Cortez, also called The Vermillion Sea, is better described as aquamarine, with incredible visibility and biodiversity. The sea is alive with fish of all kinds, colour and size, from the tiny sergeant major to giant manta rays, dolphins, fin, and blue whales. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular and the scenery stark and dramatic. Isla Espiritu Santo is a national Park, uninhabited and visited by permit only, and is a fantastic base for exploring and kayaking. An unforgettable part of this trip is swimming with a colony of sea lions who are habituated to humans and who will play with you in the water. The camping is very comfortable with cocktail hour and camp cooks who pride themselves in their culinary skills! After four nights camping it is great to get back to the hotel for a shower and a comfy bed, as well as an evening in the colourful, friendly, and very Mexican city of La Paz.
The next part of the trip brings you to Magdelena Bay to one of only two mating and calving grounds for the grey whale who make their way from The Bering Sea to the warm waters of Mexico between December and March and can be seen in their hundreds as they swim with their calves and breech, coming straight up out of the water. Sometimes a "friendly" whale will seek contact and allow us to touch and even kiss her! The boats are well controlled with permits, and respectful of the whales and never harass them.
The camping here is very posh, with walk in permanent tents with cot beds, a dining room tent and a beer cooler. The campsite is on a sandbar between the Bay and The Pacific Ocean and the night time noises consist of whale song and the odd coyote howling at the moon!
What makes our tour so different and special is that on all of our expeditions Jim Kennedy (see about us) tutors and advises clients on all aspects of their kayaking technique. i.e. forward paddling, rescues, correction strokes, towing, rolling. So by the end of an amazing tour, not only will you have a great adventure but your personal kayaking proficiency will also have reached new levels.
This tour is suitable for all abilities, beginner upwards, and is fully supported We use a combination of singles and doubles on the trip
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ITINERARY:
Our expedition will begin in La Paz – the capital of Baja, made famous by John Steinbeck in his book “The Log of the Sea of Cortez”.
Day 1 – Arrival into La Paz. The first night we stay in Posada Luna Sol Hotel, a lovely hotel close to the marina on the sea front. We can relax on the roof top palapa (outdoor room) with a drink and watch the beautiful and exotic Pacific sunset. Then maybe a stroll along the Maleacon (boardwalk) for a Margarita or cold beer.
Day 2 - Sees us kayaking around La Paz Bay, exploring the mangroves and getting familiar with our kayaks and guides. La Paz is a beautiful area famous for pearls. Steinbecks book "The Pearl " was based in La Paz, which is the Capital of Baja. Bottlenosed dolphins are common in this area. We again stay in our hotel on this night and prepare for our departure to the island tomorrow.
Day 3 - Begins our sea-kayaking odyssey with a transfer to the Island of Espiritu Santo, an uninhabited volcanic Island about 5 miles from the mainland. We will be based here for the next four days and three nights. We will be kayaking from one white sandy beach to another, hiking the desert landscape, snorkeling and swimming and reveling in the stark and stunning silence of a desert island national park.
Every day we combine our kayaking exploration with a little learning. By the end of the trip your personal proficiency will certainly have taken giant steps.
We will be camping on the island and the trip will be fully supported which means you do not have to carry gear in the kayak. The trip is also fully catered. We will have a local guide with us who will treat us to wonderful Mexican food. We will kayak in some amazing areas and share the seas with dolphins, whales, turtles and exotic sea birds and look down on the colorful fish foraging in the blue depths below us. At the tip of the second island, Los Islotes, there is Sea Lion colony who accept people, and we will have an opportunity to snorkel amongst them, an unforgettable experience.
Day 7: we will travel back to La Paz, for a welcome shower and a night on the town, with a comfy bed to complete the day!
Day 8: We will transfer to the Pacific coast the next day, across the desert landscape, stopping off at for a taco and chilled beer at a remote farm. A village of Osprey Nests lets us know that we are approaching the Pacific side of the Peninsula. Here we will be taken by Panga(fast boat) out to the whale camp on the sand dune island in Magdalena Bay.
Day 11: Here we will spend three wonderful days whale watching, sea kayaking and exploring the sculpted sand dunes on the sand bar. We will be visiting remote fishing camps and kayaking through one of the most famous mangrove swaps in Mexico as well as beach combing in the Pacific Sunset. Then we return to La Paz for our last night, enjoying dinner in the evening, a Margarita or two and some shopping.
Day 12: Airport transfer and departure. Sad goodbyes and promises of "we will be back", and secret thoughts of “I cannot wait for my friends at home to see my tan!”
Activities – Sea Kayaking, snorkelling, hiking, fishing, visiting local fishing villages, whale watching, exploring the mangroves by kayak, dune jumping.
Cost - ?1,450
Begins in - La Paz
Ends in - La Paz
Groups or individuals welcome.
Number of Guides/crew to clients,- 1- 4
Minimum age - 18
We use a mixture of double and single kayaks.
Single supplement fee – ?130 for accommodation . ?50 for a single kayak for the entire trip.
Sea Kayak rating and approximate min/max distances per day - Moderate to strenuous, 6-10 miles
Price includes: All activities, all meals and beverages while on the expedition, four nights hotel with bed and breakfast, end of tour dinner, all kayaking equipment.
Not included: Food on first day, dinner on middle day, sleeping bags and snorkelling equipment, air Fares.
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Some comments about our Baja trip.
Hello Jim,
I hope you guys got home safely and are recovering from the jet lag.
Because you and I have been in touch over the past number of months I have
been appointed as spokesman for our group.
Jim, as you know we are all divers and we have been around the world diving
in some quite exotic spots but we are unanimous in our opinion that this has
been the best holiday - ever.
It was not just a holiday, but a wonderful experience.
Firstly I want to thank you for introducing us to the Baja Experience and
further thanks for all the organisation and fun you put into the trip.
Please thank Elena (Spanish name) for her friendship and co-operation and
her magic guitar playing .
Being divers and having a lot of trips under our belts we have experience in
the problems of moving people and equipment about and how much organisation
it takes. I have to say that the organisation on this trip was fantastic and
if there were any cracks in it they didn't show, which has not been the case
in some of our other trips.
A big thank you must go to Carlos- a mine of information and so much fun, he
moved us to our various expeditions so efficiently and without any pressure.
Romane - what a lovely guy (and great actor) and his knowledge of the
mangroves and their inhabitants - fantastic.
Forgive me for not being able to quote all the names but I have to mention
the crew.
The food produced by the two cooks was magnificent, the guys who looked
after us in both camps were great and again so helpful and so much fun. The
boatmen were just super and we were impressed with how environmentally
careful and respectful they were. I have to make a personal reference to
Ankel (Forgive my spelling) A lovely, helpful and courteous 'gentle giant'.
You will have gathered from this that we enjoyed our holiday in Baja, it was
brilliant, and we just want our appreciation and thanks to go on record to
those who made it so.
Look forward to seeing you soon on our 'Irish Baja Reunion'.
Best wishes with your Baja trips in the future Jim and once more our sincere
thanks, |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 01 March 2008 )
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